Debates between Angela Eagle and Chris Stephens during the 2015-2017 Parliament

Points of Order

Debate between Angela Eagle and Chris Stephens
Tuesday 20th December 2016

(8 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Enterprise Bill [Lords]

Debate between Angela Eagle and Chris Stephens
Tuesday 2nd February 2016

(8 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Angela Eagle Portrait Ms Eagle
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The Bill has a particular phrase attached to it—public sector fat cats—and when we look more closely at it, we see that it applies to non-public sector workers and non-fat cats. We will be taking a close look at that.

Chris Stephens Portrait Chris Stephens (Glasgow South West) (SNP)
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The term “public sector fat cats” surely does not apply to a civil servant who earns less than £25,000 a year, whose length of service may be 30 years or more. The unintended consequence of the policy is that it will impact on the longest-serving employees.

Angela Eagle Portrait Ms Eagle
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There are what I have rather politely and generously, in my view, referred to as unintended consequences of the cap, and I noted with some distaste the Secretary of State’s use of a pejorative term such as “public sector fat cats” to justify the existence of the proposed cap. It is clear that the cap could impact, as the hon. Gentleman says, on those on moderate and even lower pay with long service, and it could impact on pension “strain” payments for workers, rather than on those on the highest salaries with much shorter service.

The Cabinet Office has confirmed that some civil servants earning less than £25,000 a year could be affected by the cap because they have long service. Surely this was not the intention. Again, the Opposition will explore some of the consequences. We have even heard that essential restructuring in some public services is being held up by the unintended consequences of this crude measure.